“I’m sorry,” he answered quietly. “I certainly don’t want to do that.”
“Thank you,” I whispered. I curled up on the ground and hugged my knees, trying to shield myself against the cold and protect what little warmth I had. I averted my gaze from Brennan’s. I didn’t want to see the pain that I knew I would find within his.
“It’s not going to end like this,” he said softly, staring at me from across our prison. “I’m not going to stand here and watch you shiver to death in a ball. If you’re going to kill me anyway, just do it now. Do it now before you can suffer any longer, Empusa. I know you don’t want to. But I’ll go to the Isles of the Blessed, Em. Perhaps, if you win, Zeus will allow you to accompany me there.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I hissed. It was growing more and more difficult for me to withstand the temptation to sink my teeth into Brennan’s fragrant flesh and drain every drop of blood from his body. I gulped from the sheer idea, the saliva pooling in my mouth. “Don’t be ridiculous. They are punishing us both for crimes that we didn’t commit. You for crimes of the mortal world as a whole and me for my mother’s transgressions. They will never let us have a happy ending. They simply won’t allow it.”
I could see his shoulders slump slightly as the weight of my words bore down upon him and I felt guilty that I had done that to him. But it was best if he just accepted it now. There was nothing I could do to get us out of this- it simply wasn’t going to end well. I closed my eyes to the black ugliness, reveling instead in the darkness behind my own eyelids. I took a ragged breath, then another.
I suddenly felt almost as though I could feel my mother’s presence. I felt the same sense of calm as I always did when she was near. I felt certain that if I opened my eyes, she would be gone, so I kept them closed and focused on her presence. She was somehow projecting herself to me. I knew that if I opened my eyes, I would see her sitting next to Zeus. But it didn’t make her presence in my mind any less real.
She was here. I knew it beyond any doubt. By the second, her presence got stronger and stronger, like an approaching light, until I finally heard her voice.
“I love you, Empusa,” she murmured.
The first thing my mother did was to profess her love. An errant tear slipped from the corner of my eye. It didn’t matter that I was here because of her- she had only done what she had to try and save me. I knew she was in agony over my situation right now. I could hear it in the tenor of her voice.
“I’m so proud of you,” she said. “You’re so strong and brave. I only have a moment, Empusa. You need to know something. It’s your bracelet that can save you… your bracelet. Your soul is tied to the moonstone. As long as the moonstone survives, I can save you. Your father, Hades, can save you. And I’m sorry for that too. I’m so sorry for so many things.”
I squeezed my eyes tightly closed as hot tears filled them up.
“Don’t cry, my sweet,” she whispered. “They will see. Zeus will see. Do with this information as you will… but just know that no matter what happens to you on that altar, I can save you if your moonstone survives. I love you, Empusa.”
And she was gone. I felt her absence immediately It was as though a breeze had blown through and then stilled. I felt a vast emptiness, but even still, my heart was buoyed. She had just given me a kernel of hope. I touched my bracelet, but then dropped my hand. I didn’t want Zeus to notice it.
It was astounding to me that he didn’t realize the importance of my bracelet. He himself had been saved from the clutches of Hades because he had embedded his blood within Harmonia’s bloodstone…a simple jewel. It had saved him from imprisonment in the Underworld. And now mine, a pretty trinket, might save my life.
I opened my eyes.
Because I had been granted a bit of hope, everything looked brighter now. The snow blanketing the ground looked beautiful, even though it was frigid. The sun shining down through the clouds and tree branches reflected off the ice crystals and send glittering prisms of light everywhere. And Brennan.
Brennan was as beautiful as ever, proud and strong. I ached to touch him, to run my fingers over the smooth expanse of his muscled arms, to feel the stubble on his face. I squared my shoulders and marched over to him. I could do this.
As his scent filled my nose, unquenchable thirst filled my consciousness. I had never wanted anything so badly in my life than I wanted to drink Brennan’s blood right now. It was warm, it was wet, it would be delicious. But even more than that, I wanted to protect him, to save him. Because of that, I knew that I could do this. At least long enough to save him.
Stretching up on tiptoe, I brushed my lips against his. At the mere contact, his aura appeared to me and I found that with each breath that I took, his soul threatened to suck away from him and into me. With regret, I stepped away from his slightly, just enough to keep him safe, but still enough to whisper. If I kept my hands running along Brennan’s arm and chest lovingly, Zeus would just think we were whispering as lovers.
Brennan’s amber eyes were trained upon mine. He knew something had changed. He knew me well enough to sense it. But he stayed calm and quiet, trusting me enough to wait until I shared it with him.
“My moonstone,” I whispered to him, as quietly as I could while I ran my fingers along his shoulders. “It is tied to my soul. As long as it is intact, my mother can save my life.”
“You know this for certain?” he asked, as he grasped one of my hands and casually drew it to his lips to kiss it. We were making quite the effort to appear relaxed and I was certain it was paying off. We looked every inch like a pair of imprisoned lovers who were was just trying to steal a moment alone while being watched by a group of people.
I nodded. “Yes.”
Brennan sighed a heavy sigh. He knew what that meant. In order for us both to survive, I would have to die here and now. He would have to kill me.
However, before we could say anything else, Zeus’ loud voice boomed throughout the clearing.
“I grow weary of this monotony. The game will change.”
My eyes met Brennan’s as I sucked in my breath.
It was hard to say what Zeus would throw at us next.
“I am tired of watching this stalemate. You think that you have outsmarted me? You will soon learn otherwise. Your opposing abilities have always fascinated me, the idea that your very existence could snuff out that of the other. I will play on that today. Know this, the longer you delay action, the more mortals will die. This is true now more than ever. One of you will die today and justice will be served.”
Zeus sat back down, my mother at his side. Her face was calm, but I could see her hands twisting in her lap. Her fingers were turning white. Whatever Zeus had in mind, it wasn’t going to bode well for Brennan and me.
I noticed that Harmonia and Cadmus had slipped into the stands. They sat behind Harmonia’s parents, Aphrodite and Ares. Harmonia’s face was pale and distressed and Cadmus had his arm wrapped comfortingly around her shoulders. Whatever Zeus was planning, it certainly wasn’t good. Harmonia leaned over and murmured something to Zeus, but it didn’t faze him. He shook his head almost imperceptibly and Harmonia slumped back in her seat. Clearly she had tried to intervene on our behalf and it hadn’t been successful. There was nothing to do now but to wait for whatever came.
And we didn’t have to wait long.
The sky suddenly darkened, causing Brennan and I to look up. The moon was moving in front of the sun, darkening the sky. The sun turned gold then orange then fiery red before its light was finally snuffed out and all went dark.
An eclipse.
Chapter Twenty Three
“What does this mean?” Brennan asked uncertainly as we both craned our necks to peer into the sky. The only light now was a blood red rim of the sun peeking from behind the darkened moon and the flickering light of the stars scattered overhead.
“It’s an eclipse,” I said woodenly. “Think about it, Bren. You’re from the sun and I’m from the moon. O
ur spirits are tied to those energies. If the sun and the moon block each other, they cancel each other out. Our energy is going to fade soon. Zeus is trying to force our hand.”
I couldn’t see his face in the darkness, but I could feel that he was shocked. His silence attested to that.
“What do we do?” he asked quietly.
“You know what we have to do,” I answered. “You know what you have to do.”
Silence.
I strained to see him, but could barely see my hand in front of my face. I looked to my right. The vision of Olympus was gone. Apparently Zeus had wanted to extinguish all forms of light around us. We were left with nothing but the eerie red ring of the sun.
Without the energy from the moon, I instantly felt weaker, although I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination at this point. Surely my strength wouldn’t drain so quickly. But I was still hungry. I knew that for sure. My throat was as dry as a bone, so dry that I constantly felt like I needed to cough. I was at a distinct disadvantage. Not only was my energy draining at an exponential rate, I had to deal with my curse as well. I could only pray that Brennan would kill me before I killed him.
And then I had to laugh at myself. I had to pray? Pray to whom? The gods? No one there would help me. None of them could. The only one who could wanted my head on a spike for the world to see. I laughed a humorless laugh and then fell as silent as Brennan.
“Brennan?” I said quietly.
No answer.
“Brennan?” I asked, this time in concern. Why wasn’t he answering?
Finally, his low voice came from the shadows. “I’m here,” he replied.
“Why weren’t you answering?” I asked. My heart had started a slow slam against my ribcage. Was this it? Was he finally coming to his senses and he was going to kill me? Was I going to die soon?
“It’s hard to speak,” he said, his voice heavy. “There’s a weight on me. I can’t move very well.”
“A weight?” I asked quickly, rushing through the darkness to find him. I tripped on the altar and went sprawling across the stone. I lay still for a moment, rubbing my throbbing shin before I climbed to my feet again. Feeling my way carefully around the altar, it didn’t take long for my fingers to brush against Brennan’s warm body. My first thought was that his normally very hot body wasn’t nearly as hot as usual. It was back down to a normal body temperature. Secondly, his skin was clammy. I fumbled for his face and pushed his damp hair away from his forehead.
“Come sit down,” I instructed him, pulling him toward the altar.
“I don’t feel right,” he mumbled. I gently pushed him onto the altar and curled up with him on the stone, stroking his arm. I gritted my teeth at the frustration of being so close to his tantalizing smell, but I had to stay with him. He needed me.
“I think the absence of light is harder on you than the absence of moonlight is hard on me,” I observed. “It’s affecting you more quickly. It probably has something to do with the fact that moonlight is only a reflection of the sun or something. God knows we’ve been warned about that enough.”
As I spoke, a thought occurred to me, a thought so horrible that it stilled my hand immediately and I pushed Brennan away as I leaped to me feet.
“What is it?” he asked groggily. “What’s wrong?”
“I think I steal your energy,” I said uncertainly. “Do you feel better the farther I am away from you?”
As I spoke, I backed up, further and further until I was against the invisible wall.
“Do you feel somewhat better now?” I called to him.
“A little,” he answered. His voice wasn’t quite so sluggish. It was true. I absorbed what little energy he had left. I would have to stay very far away from him.
“Brennan, you’re going to have to end this,” I said wearily. “Soon, you will be too drained to function. You have to kill me and end this now. Please.”
“I can’t,” he answered sadly. “I honestly don’t think that I can. I don’t think I can make myself hurt you.”
The despair in his voice caused me to weep. I couldn’t help it and I felt so weak, but I couldn’t stop the tears that streaked down my cheeks. My shoulders shook with my sobs and I thought bitterly that Zeus was probably vastly enjoying my sadness. Even that thought couldn’t stop the flow of tears.
“Please don’t cry, Emmie,” Brennan begged from across the way. “I can’t stand it. Please. It’s tearing my heart out.”
“There’s a way to end it,” I pointed out dryly.
More silence.
He was ignoring me now as he tried to ignore the effect the eclipse was having on him. I knew exactly what he was doing, because I was doing it myself. I was trying not to think about the discomfort that my curse was causing me or the pain that sprung forth every time I thought of not being with Brennan.
I curled up into a ball on the icy cold of the stone altar and closed my eyes. The blackness of sleep consumed me quickly.
* * *
“Empusa.”
I opened my eyes. It was still blacker than the blackest night. The trees were still, there was no wind. I couldn’t see Brennan anywhere, but I knew he was here.
“Empusa,” the voice whispered again.
Gaia.
I sat up, the stone of the altar cold beneath my hands. It was so very cold here. I shivered without meaning to. I hated to show Zeus my discomfort and I gritted my teeth together in an effort to keep them from chattering. I couldn’t see her, but Gaia’s voice was right in my ear.
“Don’t turn around,” she cautioned me. “Zeus is watching.”
I glanced towards where the vision of Olympus had been, but it was still black. I couldn’t see them, but I had no doubt that Gaia was right and that they were watching me at this very moment. I could practically feel their silver eyes on my skin.
I tried to look as casual as possible as I stretched, then tucked one leg under me as if I was just trying to get comfortable in the cold. I stilled, waiting for Gaia to speak again. When she did, it was a feather-soft whisper in my ear.
“Hades sent me to remind you of something,” she said hurriedly.
In my mind’s eye, I could picture her glancing toward the Olympians, worrying that Zeus would discover her presence. Gaia was a survivor. She would never put herself in danger unless she considered the reason to be very, very important. I gulped hard. She was putting herself into danger for me.
“Brennan can will things into existence,” she reminded me. “Use that. You will need to replenish your strength- so drink from each other. Then act, while you are at your strongest.”
“But Zeus took our abilities,” I reminded her quietly.
“Empusa, are you or are you not Hecate’s daughter? Are you or are you not Hades’ daughter? It is being whispered that you might just be the most powerful goddess that any of us have ever seen…just as soon as you realize your full potential. Why do you think that Zeus is so intent on punishing you in your mother’s stead? He wants to ensure that you will never become a threat to him. He knows that Hades will use you against him at the very first opportunity.
“But that’s neither here nor there right now. Right now, you need to realize that while Zeus is powerful, you might be more so. Concentrate on your powers. Bring them back. Have Brennan do the same. Mind over matter is a very powerful thing. Have Brennan will you into the Underworld. Hades will be waiting and you can take your rightful place at his side. You don’t have to die.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. This girl had been trying to outmaneuver Hades for thousands of years. And here she was wanting me to stand at Hades’ side. I was just shaking my head with bewilderment when the little clearing lit up like a football stadium.
I blinked hard, trying to see. My eyes had been away from light long enough that the presence of it now was blinding. But before I could see, I could hear.
Scuffling.
Scraping.
A blood-curling scream.
A ring of Olymp
ians came into focus, all standing in a circle around the clearing. Zeus was in the front, Apollo and Hera at his sides. Their brightness was indeed blinding, beginning with their silver eyes and silvery clothing. White light seemed to emanate from their very persons. Harmonia and Cadmus stood nearest to me, with my mother next to them. They watched me anxiously. Helplessly. I watched their eyes move from me to a spot over my head. I looked up and gasped.
Gaia hung suspended in mid-air over the altar. She had materialized and no longer looked ghostly. She looked as flesh and blood as I did. Her bare feet were shaking, her skin as pale as mine. She was terrified, but defiantly jutted her chin out as she hovered in the air.
“Empusa,” Zeus boomed. “This is what happens when someone tries to circumvent my wishes by way of devious means. This girl’s blood is on your hands.”
I watched in horror as Gaia exploded into flames. Her tortured shrieks filled the night and I tried to pull her out of the sky, but Brennan pulled me back. There was no way I could help her.
I pushed my face into Brennan’s chest until Gaia’s last scream had faded. I hesitantly turned around in time to see Zeus snap the lid down on an ornate black box.
The box of murderous souls.
I had heard legends of it. The box contained the blackest souls of the most heinous mortals. And now, it apparently housed my friend Gaia’s. Her charred remains were motionless on the altar, the acrid scent of burning flesh still heavy in the air. I squeezed my eyes closed again.
Gaia had been so terrified of the Underworld. And now, because she had tried to help me, she would forever be imprisoned in a box with the worst mortals that the world had ever known. Guilt pressed on my heart and I knew I would struggle with it forever.
“We’ll fix this,” Brennan told me firmly. “We’ll fix this.”
“You cannot, son of Apollo,” Zeus called. “It cannot be repaired. It is done. The traitor’s transgressions have been punished. All that is left is for you to finish the game.”
The game. The wretched, twisted game. I was tired of it. My weariness caused me to lose any sense of caution. Whirling, I faced the crowd of Olympians.
Soul Bound (The Moonstone Saga (Book 2)) Page 15
